Geocaching Scripture

Mary and Joseph bring the baby Jesus to the temple, trying their best not to be seen. An elderly priest calls them out and prophecies over the child. What does this strange interaction mean? Where does that take us? What does it have to do with monoliths appearing in rural Utah? The answers, and a whole heaping lot more, are right here.  (Luke 2:22-32)

Josh and Dan huddle in the mineshaft to discuss virginity and barrenness as biblical themes that find their culmination in the birth of Jesus. Mary and Elizabeth are both unable to conceive, and both are suddenly "with child" at the beginning of this miraculous season. There's also some stuff in here about Zorro, and pound-for-pound the most laughter of any episode yet. Happy Advent! 

Jesus stops everything to watch an elderly woman give her two penny offering. Why would he watch that kind of moment, with all the "important" stuff He had to do? And what do Willy Wonka and Hunter S. Thompson have to do with it? Your answers are here...tune in. 

Why is Jesus always multiplying fish? As far as supernatural powers go, there are more exciting options. We look at the strange intertestimonial book of 2 Baruch and how it relates to the big fish fries in places like Luke 5 and John 21. What's this connection that made Peter jump up to Jesus in the surf and suddenly call Him, "Lord"? What were the expectations of the Messiah that were in the air...

I once was blind, but now I see! Let's talk about John 9, in which Jesus cures a blind man by making mud and putting it on his eyes and also upsets the Pharisee authorities at the same time. What was the importance of this miracle? Why were the ruling powers so upset? We jump into it, and we also talk briefly about great white sharks off the coast of California. Josh also comes up with the lamest...

I saw you under the fig tree! Fig tree imagery is woven throughout the bible, from the impromptu clothing of Adam and Eve to the tree where Jesus sees Nathanael. This is one of those long-running symbols the gospel writers pick up and "geocache" in the details to tell a story within a story. Josh and Dan investigate and eat "VBS-grade" generic Fig Newtons. 

Welcome to season two!! I am joined by my new co-host Dan Hintz, who will become a welcome fixture around here. We open season two with a talk about "agnostic openness." We know the rich young man "went away sad," but do we really know if he never follows Jesus? Can we judge him? Or is it one of Mark's cliffhangers? What does Jesus teach us here about approaching people in our centrifuged, rhetori...

This week our exclusive, hard-to-find, A+ list guest is my wife, Heather McDonald, artist and art therapist. She talks with us about Bezalel from Exodus 31, the second person who is ever empowered by the Holy Spirit in scripture. He was an artisan and artist, who designed the Ark of the Covenant, and showed us that worship is not just singing and teaching but artistry, expression, craftsmanship an...

The iconic scene of Jesus cleansing the temple. Geocaches are pretty much tumbling out of this highly symbolic act. What was going on? Why was he so upset? We'll also talk a little about Dr. Who's appearance in Wisconsin. 

John 1, the Logos. This concept blended Hebrew and Greek thought beautifully and yet is confusing to a lot of modern readers. Also there's some stuff in here about a flooded mine in Finland. 

Guest geocacher, pastor, scholar, one of my BFFs, and also my dad joins us to talk through Psalm 23. Green pastures, sitting down, rods and staffs, and tables at the enemy's house all make an appearance in this line-by-line meditation. 

The story of Pilate freeing Barabbas is so familiar at Easter we probably don't even read it. But, as usual, there's more than meets the eye, especially in the name the gospel writers give this shadowy character.

Judas Iscariot is, tragically, one of the most famous disciples. We don't know much about this shadowy figure, and there's more than one theory. What were his motivations? What was he after? Where did he come from? Let's see what we can find out. 

Pastor Shawn joins us to talk through the prodigal son story, Luke 15:11-32. He tells us what "hired worker" meant in those days, and how the son tried to qualify his own return. Right in the middle, some homeless folks knock on the door of the church and Shawn stops to help them out – the kingdom waits for no podcasts! 

John the Baptist worked in Bethany beyond the Jordan. Lazarus is from Bethany. To turning points in Jesus' public ministry. But there is no Bethany beyond the Jordan, so...?

Jesus always welcomed children, stopping everything to do so. Have you ever tried to "sort of" welcome a child? You can't! If you're going to welcome them, you have to drop everything. The Kingdom of God is the same way. 

A tribute to my professor the late JI Packer, who I had half a conversation with once. Paul greets Titus with his usual salutation but it’s packed (hehe) with treasures.

Paul sends Titus instructions for going to the difficult area of Crete. One of their own philosophers called them all liars and brutes. Their local mythology was full of stories of their conniving, double-crossing deities. 

The Pericope Adulterae, or as we probably call it “Jesus and the Women Taken in Adultery”, is a bit of a homeless story. Most of the best manuscripts either don’t include it or don’t include it in this part of John. Despite this, many scholars believe it to be historical and it certainly seems like Jesus, leaning down next to the woman and doodling in the sand. That’s where the geocache is.

As with any human community, myths and rumors have a way of becoming "fact" in the echo chamber. Through Sunday school lessons and sermon illustrations, there are a few of these stories that have made their way into the Christian conversation. Our faith is rooted in history, and anything that comes between the history and our faith story may not be outright harmful but isn't too helpful.

Get on your oxygen tank and pack your best gear, this one's way at the top! Paul talks at length about meat offered to idols – not a conversation we’re used to having in the modern world, but a very everyday concern in Corinth. Paul writes to them about the hermeneutic of love, the driving principle that should determine your behavior as a community in Christ. A very localized pastoral discussion...

We've all heard the story that the rainbow was the symbol of God's promise to Noah, but have we looked closer at the actual text? As usual, it's got more dimension and color than we might have thought. God's promise, using some metaphorical imagery that would have made sense to the original readers, that he will always work with us and won't start humanity over again. 

The second in my guest star series! Financial advisor Paul West CFP®, CAP®, sits down to talk with us about stewarding money and serving the financial needs of families all across the financial spectrum. This episode is a tour de force of me talking with someone much smarter than myself about how money works, how philanthropy works and how to frame it all in faith. There's also a brief interlude a...

Jesus’ baptism takes a few paragraphs but ties together the story of Israel and all humanity. “It is happening again.”

My first guest star! My pastor, Dan Hintz, puts his enormous brain to work on a geocache in church history. Pandemics are part of the early growth of the church, in which the believers served the sick and dying in a way that astounded the surrounding society. We discuss the Antoine Plague (250-260 AD) and the Plague of Cyprian (165-175 AD). Our ancestors in the faith showed a love born out of thei...